FAMILY RESERVE CHARDONNAY

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Growing Season

Fruit for this wine was selected from our original planting of Chardonnay. The block was planted in 1988 and is trained on a single wire VSP system. Yields were extremely low due to re-working of the vines and we achieved only 3 tonne to the hectare. Due to the light crop load the fruit ripened relatively early and was harvested in the cool of night on February 18th.

Winemaking

The fruit from these old vines was harvested on flavour ripeness rather than baume levels. It was then gently pressed with the free run cut made at 500 litres to the tonne. The juice was cold settled for 48 hours then racked and warmed to 150c. The juice was then inoculated with D47 yeast and transferred to new and older oak on the 3rd day of fermentation. Following natural MLF and lees stirring the wine was racked and returned to barrel for 12 months with lees stirring. The wine was then bottle aged for 6 months prior to release.

Tasting Notes

A blend of fruit from Cowra and the cool climate region of Orange, this wine is an excellent example of the region's Chardonnay. The colour is pale straw with tinges of olive green and aromas of apricots, honey and a hint of butteriness. The palate displays intense fruit flavours, together with almonds, toasty oak and yeasty brioche. This is a full flavoured barrel-fermented Chardonnay with attractive mineral characters and a soft, clean finish. Excellent with almost any chicken dish, particularly those with cream based sauces.

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